Welcome to Gretna United Methodist Church (GUMC) where our vision is to “connect diverse communities to a lifestyle devoted to Jesus”. We are blessed to be under the caring pastoral leadership of Rev. Roger Templeton. Join us on Sunday to experience and share Jesus' love!

About Us

We are proud to be an intentional multiethnic congregation that worships our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ together as brothers and sisters in Christ every Sunday in two very different worship experiences. We also encourage each other to voluntarily connect with one other to grow spiritually together through small groups that meet on Sundays, Tuesdays, and at our new Mid-Week Infusions on Wednesday nights.

We are not perfect and we do not expect you to be. Our church community at GUMC is there to love, encourage, and support each other in our collective journey as disciples of Jesus. Come as you are to join us in our walk with Christ!

We celebrated our 120 year anniversary in October 2017 and we have been at our present location at 1309 Whitney Avenue, Gretna, LA 70056 since approximately 1969. Our current beautiful 17,000 square foot sanctuary was built in 2004 and it has seating for up to 470. Hurricane Katrina had a significant impact on many of the families in our congregation and we are a growing church with a lot of great energy and joy for God’s blessings in our lives.

Our Worship Services

We offer two very different services every Sunday. Try experiencing both to find the right fit for your preferred style of worship.

Traditions - 8:30 AM on Sundays

Traditions is a traditional worship service with hymns, organ and a Chancel Choir celebrating in the historic style and liturgy of worship. Holy Communion is served the 1st Sunday of each month.

Mosaic- 9:30 AM on Sundays

Mosaic is a unique High Praise multiethnic worship experience lead by our Worship Leader Adrian Vaughn. Our praise team called, Committed, embraces a variety of rhythms including New Orleans funk, R & B, Gospel and Jazz. It is unlike any other worship experience you'll see or experience! This ministry of worship and praise is intended to draw every nation, tribe, people and tongue to God as we offer up to God "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." (Heb. 13:15). Holy Communion is served each week.

How long do the worship services last?

The Traditions service at 8:30AM lasts for approximately 45-50 minutes.

The Mosaic service at 9:30AM lasts for approximately 1 hour and sometime a little longer.

What should I expect on Sunday?

Our members and visitors come from all walks of life, including many nationalities, multiple ethnicities, various demographics, all partner preferences, new Christians, life-long Christians, and even those seeking Jesus for the first time in their lives. We are proud that GUMC strives to display the true diversity of the Kingdom of God that Christ intended for us all. We promote connecting diverse communities to a lifestyle devoted to Jesus in everything we do.

On Sundays you will likely share our worship experience with many people who may look like you and have a lot in common with you, and many others who may not. It's what diversity is all about. A love and yearning for Jesus in each our lives is all we need in common. We have members, non-members, and guests worshiping with us every Sunday and celebrating Jesus together.

The only requirement is to come with an open heart to explore and seek Jesus. All are welcome, so invite a friend, a family, a neighborhood, and a community. We hope to see you on Sunday!

What should I wear?

The normal dress on a Sunday varies from jeans with a t-shirt to a coat and tie or suit for men and jeans or pants with a shirt to a nice dress for women, and everything in between. We never want a strict dress code to deter anyone from experiencing the love of Jesus Christ. Wear whatever is comfortable for you on Sundays so you can focus on why you are there, which is to praise, worship, and love Jesus together with us.

Where do I park?

Visitor Parking is available and is marked with signs in the visitor parking spots. We also have handicapped parking. All of our parking is located on the back side of our sanctuary. You enter the parking lot by turning into the parking lot from Whitney Avenue.

We have a nursery for children 3 and under that is available during both worship services and during Sunday school classes. Please ask an usher or greeter for assistance in locating the nursery.

We also have children’s church during both worship services each Sunday for all children 3 and older who are potty trained. The children planning to attend children’s church go to the worship service with you to participate in the singing of hymns in the Traditions service or praise and worship music in Mosaic service, and they are notified when it is time to depart together with the teachers to go to their children’s church room. All of our children’s church and nursery workers have completed Safe Sanctuary training.

On Fridays

Friends following faith on Friday meet on the second and fourth Friday of each month from 6:00-8:00PM. Children aged 4 to 18 are welcome. They will learn Bible verses & songs about Jesus, play board games, have dinner, and make new friends.

No! We want all of our guests and first-time visitors to open their hearts to Jesus to explore and seek him in their lives, and to grow in their spiritual walk with Christ. Only when someone decides to make the commitment to join our church as a member do we formally ask them to prayerfully submit a pledge card as part of their commitment to Christ and His church.

We promote a culture of joyful voluntary givers who give back to God out of genuine love and thanks for His Grace and the Good News of Jesus Christ in each of our lives. Your decision to give and how much to give is a decision between you and God through prayer.

We want you to focus on growing spiritually and not feel pressured into financial giving until you are ready to begin celebrating the joy of generosity. Once you are ready, it is a special joy to generously give back to God what He has blessed us with.

As you grow in your faith and your love for Jesus, the stewardship of your God given time, abilities, and resources will become part of your walk with Christ due to your individual love for God’s blessings and gifts of abundance in our lives. As you become closer to Jesus, you will want to joyfully give back a portion of all he has bestowed in you and we will celebrate Him together. As a visitor, we only ask for you to seek Christ in your life and to walk with him!

We have volunteer opportunities to serve in multiple ministries. Please contact us if you have you a new ministry idea that you would like to lead at GUMC. Rev. Roger and a member of our leadership can discuss your idea with you to see how it fits into our mission and vision.

Our church at GUMC is a part of the body of Christ in God’s universal church. The mission of the United Methodist Church is to “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”. Always remember that all are welcome at GUMC! In addition, since our communion table belongs to Jesus it is open for everyone to receive the gifts Jesus gave to us all at the Last Supper with his disciples.